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A5 (Weeford to Fazeley)

Mr. Brian David Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when and for what reasons the decision was taken to withdraw the scheme to improve the A5 from Weeford to Fazeley from the trunk road programme. [8821]

Mr. Watts: The A5 from Weeford to Fazeley was one of a number of longer--term schemes withdrawn from the programme following the Chancellor's Budget statement last November. These schemes had little chance of

18 Dec 1996 : Column: 660

coming to fruition within a reasonable time scale and were withdrawn to remove uncertainty and the damaging effects of blight on individuals and neighbourhoods.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents have occurred in each of the last five years on the A5 between Weeford and Fazeley. [8820]

Mr. Watts: It is our policy to record only those accidents involving personal injury. The number of such accidents for the section of the A5 between Weeford and Fazeley, including the A5/A38 junction, for the last five years is as follows:

	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
1991	0	0	9	9
1992	1	3	12	16
1993	0	0	3	3
1994	1	1	6	8
1995	1	1	7	9
1996 (to June)	0	1	4	5
Total	3	6	41	50

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received (a) in support and (b) against the A5 Weeford to Fazeley improvement scheme; and if he will list them. [8824]

Mr. Watts: Some 90 per cent. of those members of the public who responded to the 1993 public consultation exercise supported an improvement to the A5 between Weeford and Fazeley.

Twelve official bodies were also consulted. The results were as follows:

Full support:

Staffordshire County Council

Borough of Tamworth

Countryside Commission

Cyclists Touring Club

RAC Motoring Services

Road Haulage Association

Weeford Parish Council

No objection in principle:

Linchfield City Council

National Rivers Authority

Staffordshire Police

Agreement in Principle:

Hints with Canwell Parish Council

Objection to the Scheme:

Council for the Protection of Rural England.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the traffic capacity of the A5 from Weeford to Fazeley; and what is the current volume. [8819]

Mr. Watts: The congestion reference flow, which shows the level at which the road would be in the peak periods on an average day, is approximately 20,000 vehicles per day for the A5 between Weeford and Fazeley.

The current traffic flow--1996--is some 16,000 vehicles per day, of which 20 per cent. are heavy goods vehicles.

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Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to deal with the existing traffic problems on the A5 between the A38 junction and Fazeley. [8823]

Mr. Watts: Following the 1995 "Managing the Roads Programme" review, Staffordshire county council was commissioned to investigate what interim measures could be undertaken on that section of trunk road. Its report is expected the end of the year. With the scheme now withdrawn from the programme, we shall consider what measures, within current resources limitations, we can undertake to deal with existing traffic problems.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the total expenditure in (a) design costs, (b) legal costs, (c) land and property acquisition and (d) other preparatory work for the A5 Weeford to Fazeley improvement scheme. [8822]

Mr. Watts: Total expenditure incurred to date amounts to £473,445. This comprises:

	£
(a) Design costs	349,562
(b) Legal costs	nil
(c) Land and Property acquisition	90,000
(d) Other preparatory work	33,883

Civilian Pilots

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what training is provided to pilots of civilian aircraft on what to do in the event of encountering unidentified craft which do not show up on radar. [9563]

Mr. Bowis: Matters relating to the training of civil aircrew are the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority. I have asked the chairman of that authority to write to the hon. Member.

Ringway Airport

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the incident that occurred at 6.48 pm to flight 5061 on its descent into Ringway airport, Manchester on the night of 6 January 1995; and if he will make a statement. [9581]

Mr. Bowis: This incident was assessed by the joint airmiss working group, consisting of representatives from both civil and military aviation. The group found that both the degree of risk and the cause of the incident were unassessable. Full details are contained in joint airmiss working group report No. 1/95--January 1995 to April 1995, which is available from the Library.

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Flight Operations Inspectors

Mr. Ashdown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what are the minimum professional qualifications for a person to be employed as a flight operations inspector (helicopters) in the flight operations inspectorate of the safety regulation group of the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority; [8829]

(2) what are the professional qualifications and total helicopter and fixed-wing flying hours, of the most experienced flight operations inspector (helicopters) currently employed on flight operations inspectorate duties in the specialist helicopter section, FOI2, in the flight operations safety regulation group in the UK Civil Aviation Authority; and what were the equivalent data on 30 June 1990; [8830]

(3) what are the professional qualifications, and total helicopter and fixed-wing flying hours, of the least experienced flight operations inspector (helicopters) currently employed on flight operations inspector (helicopters) duties in FOI2; and what were the equivalent data on 30 June 1990; [8831]

(4) what are the average total flying hours, helicopter and fixed wing, of the flight operations inspector (helicopters) employed as flight operations inspectors in FOI2 in the safety regulation group of the UK Civil Aviation Authority. [8832]

Mr. Bowis: The minimum professional qualifications for a person to be employed as a flight operations inspector (helicopters) in the flight operations inspectorate of the Civil Aviation Authority is five years' experience in command of an appropriate helicopter and relevant experience in the UK industry. Inspectors are expected to retain a current airline transport pilot's licence (helicopters and gyroplanes).

While individual inspectors keep a record of their flying hours in their personal flying log book, a record is not kept by the CAA. The CAA could require such information from its inspectors under article 68(4) of the Air Navigation (No. 2) Order 1995 but there is a statutory prohibition on the disclosure of information obtained in this way.

Birmingham Northern Relief Road

Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the timetable for, and funding of, the proposed Birmingham northern relief road. [9771]

Mr. Watts: The 16-month public inquiry ended in October last year. Many complex issues were raised and it is necessarily taking time for the inspector to complete his report. Once it is received, my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Transport will consider it and issue a decision as soon as possible.

The Birmingham northern relief road is the subject of a concession agreement with a private sector concessionaire, Midland Expressway Ltd., which is responsible for designing, building, financing and operating the road.

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Channel Tunnel (Safety)

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the quantity of (a) polystyrene products and (b) packaging currently being transported via the channel tunnel; and if he will make a statement. [9867]

Mr. Watts: No estimates of this kind have been made.

Road Closures (Commercial Vehicles)

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents during the past 12 months involving commercial vehicles which resulted in (a) total and (b) partial closures of (i) tunnels, (ii) bridges and (iii) motorways in England and Wales were notified to his Department; and how many prosecutions resulted. [9311]

Mr. Bowis [holding answer 16 December 1996]: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Tony Banks, dated 18 December 1996:

The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about how many incidents during the past 12 months involving commercial vehicles which resulted in (a) total and (b) partial closures of (i) tunnels, (ii) bridges and (iii) motorways in England were notified to this Department; and how many prosecutions resulted.

The Highways Agency is responsible for the management and operation of the motorway and trunk road network in England. There are occasions when the police will independently use their own powers to close a length of road because of an emergency. Where no damage to the road or roadside equipment is involved, and their impact is not great, these are unlikely to be reported to the Highways Agency. In view of this, I am unable to provide figures to cover all such incidents.

At the Blackwall Tunnel we have over recent years kept statistics of total closures and partial or short term (approximately 15 minutes) closures and prosecutions. In the last 12 months we have recorded 1 total closure (southbound 10/12/96), 430 partial/short term closures and 260 prosecutions. Most of these closures relate to over-height vehicles attempting to enter the northbound tunnel. On the rest of the trunk road network the Agency is aware of 20 total closures, and 86 partial closures involving commercial vehicles. No prosecutions have been recorded.

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